LINK Internship:

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At Animas High School all juniors take the first three weeks of May to do a full-time internship in the field of their interest. Each student has the ability to intern with a company or organization that intrigues them, or has a profession that they might pursue. I decided to intern with SME Environmental Consultants here in Durango for my three week internship. SME Environmental Consultants work to achieve cost efficient environmental solutions. SME creates solutions that are sensitive to agency requirements and the clients needs. They work with water quality, wetlands, habitat restoration design, special status species, etc. While I am there, I will be working in the field for half of it and working in the office for the other half.

Preparation and Expectations:

When I began this adventure of finding an internship I thought it was going to be really difficult and I was really stressed, but as I started to research, excitement kicked in. I researched different organizations that I thought I might be interested in and talked with different people about what their thoughts might be. I ended up talking to my dad and he knew a few organizations that he thought I might be interested in. One day he was at meeting and happened to mention to one of the people I am interning with about the LINK program. She ended up emailing my dad later that week, saying she would be excited to have me intern there if I wanted to and that they would help me figure out what it might look like. I emailed them back and set up a meeting with the owner and I am excited to say that I will be interning at SME environmental consulting. When I met with the owner, he said I would be doing a mix of work, some in the field and some in the office. I am excited for the field work and to learn how to compile data that then we can put into a report. I am interested in learning how to make a report and seeing what we do with the report once it is finished. I would like to leave my mark at this organization by always being engaged, being flexible, and willing to work with different individuals. One thing I am afraid of, is that there will be moments when I don't have something to do or that I am not coming in with knowledge I need. However, I think that this will be a great experience and I can't wait for it to begin.

Part of The Three weeks:

Day 1: Read an example delineation report and learned what a wetland delineation is.

Day 2: Helped with presentation on plastics in the ocean at the Water Festival at Fort Lewis College.

Day 3: Field mapped wetlands with Julia.

Day 4: Collected field data on stream heights and flow with Clint.

Day 5: Went to Mancos High School and collected data on wetlands surrounding the track, as well as, the stream.

Day 6: Headed up to Purgatory Ski Resort with Julia and Sean to re-analyze and map wetlands.

Day 10: Practiced mapping and learned about georeferencing. Then, headed up to Purgatory to re-evaluate the wetlands we previously mapped.

My Project:

For my project, I started out by going in the field and collected data points using GIS mapping. I collected soil points, control points, and lined different aspects. Once we collected all that data, we downloaded that data and compiled it in a working map. I then created a survey area, labeled points, created a legend, and changed symbols. After I completed that, we added attributes to the attribute table (x, y, square feet, linear feet, and acres). In order to find square feet you had to use the measuring tool and go from one side of the survey area, to the other side. For the other attributes ArcGIS would do it for you. This first map I created is called the aquatic resource map. I created a topographic map, a road vicinity map, and an aerial site and soil map. For these maps I took the survey area I used for the aquatic resource map and then I used layers that had already been made on ArcGIS mapping. I also was able to use templates of these maps that SME Environmental Consultants created and use. I created these maps for two different sites, the Thompson Epperson-CR 502 by Bayfield, and Mancos School District site.

reflection:

Before going in to link I interned with Durango Nature Studies and partnered with La Plata Open Space Conservancy in order to collect data on a parcel of land. During that experience, I learned how to collect data on different species, plants, and insects. I also got the opportunity to work with ArcGIS mapping. In the field, we would collect different points (soil, vegetation, picture), polygons (Vegetation data and similar areas), and lines (Trails and stream) on ArcGIS mapping. Once we had collected all the data we needed, we created multiple maps to show the community what is present in that parcel. During this internship, when I went out into the field we would collect different points and polygons with the ArcGIS mapping. The mapping unit was a little different then what I used before, but I was able to use the knowledge I had gained from my previous experience in this experience. In the field, I also learned the process in which they take data for wetland delineations. Once we had collected all of our data in the Field, we would download, and create different maps. ArcGIS Mapping is a very complex mapping system and there are multiple different aspects involved in mapping. Like I said before, I had created maps on ArcGIS Mapping from data points we took before, so when I went back to create maps at SME I re-learned everything again because I forgot my previous knowledge of creating different maps. Through this opportunity, I was able to expand my knowledge on how to create different types of maps, as well as, learn how to write a wetland delineation report and permit. At the beginning of my internship, I read previous wetland delineation reports and what the requirements of a wetland delineation reports are for an idea of what one looks like. I also read example permits, what the different permits are, and what the qualifications are for each type of permit. For my first fieldwork day, we went out by Bayfield to collect data on wetlands in an area where La Plata County is planning on replacing culverts. Once we had collected all the data from the site, I was asked to create a wetland delineation report. I tried doing some of it on my own, but I felt I didn’t have the knowledge to complete it on my own. One of my mentors said that she would help me and she gave me some little things to do. I completed those tasks and didn’t have anything to do. I wanted to ask her for others aspects that I could help with, but I was afraid I would be taking her from other tasks she needed to accomplish. I ended up just letting it go and working on other tasks. However, when it came time to writing the permit, we need to have the report done. I started working on the permit with the knowledge that we had with Kerrianne (one of my many mentors) and then once that was complete, I asked for help on the delineation report and ended up working with another one of mentors, Nathan. Through this experience, there were moments when I didn’t know what to do or how to do them. In the beginning, I was nervous to ask questions or ask for help because I felt I was taking them away from their work. As the internship went on I got more comfortable with everyone in the organization and I was able to ask questions, ask for help, and ask for different tasks. I also realized that I am here to gain knowledge and they are here to help me learn, in order for me to learn I need to ask multiple questions. Reflecting on this experience, I enjoyed the field work more than the office work and it opened my eyes to how much I really don’t know about the environment and world around us. I plan to expand my knowledge through learning about the plants around us, as well as, what plants are in different ecosystems. This summer I plan on being in the outdoors a lot and when I am, I hope to stop and learn the plants characteristics around me. I hope to also do another internship with an environmental organization either this next year or next summer. I think these two steps will give me some insight on what intrigues me about the environment specifically and what I might want to do in college. Being a high school intern at SME environmental consultants allowed me to explore my passion for the environment and gave me a chance to reflect on what I might truly be interested in. This opportunity allows students to pursue a passion they might have for the future, most students are very eager to gain new knowledge about what intrigues them. This passion drives each student to work hard and try their best while they're interning with an organization. This not only allows the students to grow, but it gives the mentors a chance to share their knowledge. In a way, it takes the mentors back to the roots and allows them to re-learn different skills.

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